Alumni Mentor UMBC Interns in the Workplace
When UMBC students stepped out of the classroom this summer to begin their internships, many had the University’s alumni looking out for them. For mechanical engineering major Yehuda Baumer, that someone was Zozscha Bomhardt ’94, who served as a mentor in her role as an engineering quality leader at GE Healthcare.
Working alongside an alumni mentor in the workplace offers students the opportunity to learn from a member of the UMBC community while on the job. Students grasp the link between theory and practice and gain valuable job-related habits and skills. “Learning how the corporate world works and being able to incorporate what I’ve learned in my studies into the workplace has been invaluable,” said Baumer.
While alumni provide an important contribution to their alma mater by connecting with and mentoring current students, the relationships can benefit them as well. Many find student interns to be outstanding potential new employees offering fresh insights into the job. “Interns provide us with a fresh perspective on technical issues,” explained Bomhardt.
Over the past 15 years, The Shriver Center at UMBC has coordinated nearly 18,000 quality internship, cooperative education and service-learning arrangements for UMBC students. According to Christine Routzahn, associate director of internships and co-ops, “UMBC alumni are outstanding advocates for our students, and both students and alumni find internship arrangements to be worthwhile and fulfilling. By complementing classroom instruction and research with internship and co-op experiences, we can better prepare our students to be tomorrow’s leaders.”
Click here to read about other UMBC students and alumni working together through internship opportunities coordinated by The Shriver Center.
(9/2/08)
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